Time to step it up!

[guitarded]

Car202 here ya go!
Learn alternate picking / economy picking /hammer and pull technique / sweep picking / Some say its a cheesy dvd. But you can download it as soon as you buy it. And Michael holds your hand thru the lessons.

HA HA! 29 frets! because sometimes 24 just don't cut it!!

 

[MikeyB59]

There are a million things you could learn. One of the things I realized a long time ago that helped had to do with understanding the relationship between major scales and pentatonics. If you take C major for example. C D E F G A B C. C major pentatonic is C D E G A. F major pentatonic is F G A C D G major pentatonic is G A B D E. What you notice is that by combining the notes of all those pentatonic scales based of the 1, 4 and 5 of the key, you get all the notes in the major scale. What I find is that as the chords shift within a key, particularly in southern rock and country, if you change the pentatonic to fit whatever chord you're on, it sounds right. Don't do this always starting at the first note, but notice where the overlays are. If you hit the note that changed at the moment when the chords change it'll sound like you know what you're doing.

I don't often play with this kind of strict adherence to that formula, but in blues/rock/country terrain it informs what I do. You can play all kinds of stuff in a minor pentatonic blues/rock vein over a standard 3 chord set of changes and it gives it a different flavor to then blend in the kind of major pentatonic (plus all the notes in between) per chord kind of thinking...more countryish, Allman Brothersish.

Play patterns over a 3 chord vamp and only change the notes that you need to in order to stay in the pentatonic scale for that particular chord. i.e. over G play e d b a, then over F f d c a over C e d c a. It's a good way to get used to tracking the chord changes with notes that imply melodically something that has changed in the harmony.

Following up on the language piece noted above, sing phrases (even if you don't sing) and play them. Your ear probably has a much better idea of how to play lead than you do. Singing will bring out a musicality in your playing immediately. Chances are some part of you already hears what notes need to change as chords do and you just need to find them. If you start with small phrases that are singable, you'll have a musical basis to build on. And space is your friend, just like in conversation (though in some genres and solos space seems to be the enemy). Say something. Pause. Listen. Say something else. Listen.

Good luck. It's a long road to soloing well for most people.

 

[pdup]

I don't adhere to the fact that you have to learn a lot of scales. They were meant to force you into certain ways of playing - like religion.
Be it Lydian or whatever ... listen to your mind ... maybe it's flat-C (no offence). But as someone said earlier in this thread ... know your fret-board and be certain that you know which string/fret to reach next when your musical mind tell you to act.

 

[levipeto]

Don't listen to anyone!

Develop a good vibrato technique and you are good to go!

 

[JosephGarraty]

Anybody who tells you "Don't learn scales! They will cripple your originality!" is not helping you. Just trying to absorb some kind of relationship between all the notes by staring at them and playing notes with no context will take f***ing forever, and guess what? At the end of it, 95% of what you absorb by osmosis will have you playing inside scales anyway.

Learn your scales. It's not fun, but it will shortcut years of learning curve.

Note that I am not saying to only play the notes from scales, in order, up and down. Experiment like mad inside your scales and between different scales. Play passing tones and notes that don't belong. Go crazy. But the fastest way to learning how all the notes fit together and what they mean in any given context is through scales. There's really no substitute.

 

[Ben Randolph]

Anybody who tells you "Don't learn scales! They will cripple your originality!" is not helping you. Just trying to absorb some kind of relationship between all the notes by staring at them and playing notes with no context will take f***ing forever, and guess what? At the end of it, 95% of what you absorb by osmosis will have you playing inside scales anyway.

This +1 !

Learn your pentatonic patterns in 5 positions. Also, its definitely beneficial to learn modes. The challenge is finding a teacher who can teach modes well. I think modes are a topic that are more often than not taught poorly and wind up confusing the student.

For a good overview of modes, check out this video series by Vinnie Moore on Youtube. He explains modes perfectly. Excuse the poofy hair...it was the 80s ;-)

Vinnie Moore(Great lesson on Modes)-part 1/3 - YouTube

Vinnie Moore(Great lesson on Modes)-part 2/3 - YouTube

Vinnie Moore(Great lesson on Modes)-part 3/3 - YouTube

 

[Funeral]

I think it cant be said enough to learn the 5 positions of the pentatonic scale (2 notes per string). The 7 modes of the major scale and can be viewed/called the 7 positions of the major scale (3 notes per string), if you look at it like the 5 of the pentatonic, and of course hybrids of all fingerings 2, 3, 4, notes per string. Learning how to apply the modes and use them effectively will come with USING THEM. I was lucky to have an early exposure to Jazz and the use of the modes. Learning your scales will allow you to build your chords, which will show you the arpeggios, ect ect ect...
I've lied before and told someone that had just watched me play I had no musical education or knowledge of theory and he said, "yeah, I can tell you are self taught. I can always hear it,...they have no soul in their playing".
I laughed, nodded my head in false agreement and finished packing up. I haven't done that again, but I'm not quick to offer up my plate to persons I don't know anymore. I listen to them spill their ignorance and smile.
Plus they think you have "it".
lol

 

[Rook]

I started by playing along to songs on the radio. I just found the root notes and noodled my way through. Then I learnt a few scales and some chord theory and that was the start of my playing improving drastically.

Further to that, when I was young whenever I would watch TV I would do it with a guitar in my hand and play over the advertisments. Great for learning to think on your feet (as it were) and find the key and switch styles quickly. If I was watching TV by myself I would sometimes play along with the shows score too, but that can be annoying for others

BTW 95% of the time this was an unplugged electric.

 

[Car202]

Thanks again for all the positive information! I knew the many great players on this forum would have some great advice. I will definately check out your ideas and try to find what works best for me!!!

 

[Xrocker]

Transcribe,transcribe,transcribe! It will engage more levels of your brain than merely listening or practicing. You will start to figure out how the things you love to listen to actually work and fit together.

Pick something easy at first and write it down one note at a time. Notation if you can or in Tab form. There is something about writing things down that helps burn it into your brain.

Steve Vai left Berklee the year before I got there but older students mainly remembered him as a transcribing monster. He kept sending Frank Zappa transcriptions of his music until he finally gave him an audition. The rest is history.

Good luck. Just committing to work to get better is the hardest step!

 

[Car202]

I'm pushing 40 and it's time to get going instead of just thinking about it, otherwise I know I will regret not giving it an honest effort! Plus it will be a lot easier if I start a band down the road knowing how to play lead. Now singing.....Think I'll work on one thing at a time! LOL

 

[Sidivan]

In my 90's rock band, I can cover pretty much an entire 4 hour gig with pentatonic scales + a few color notes, so that's a good start depending on what style you want to get into. Just don't get trapped in the pentatonic box, which is very easy to do.

Transcription is absolutely the most important thing in music, imo. At first it's super hard, but as you get better at it you start to notice melodies and chord voicings that you didn't hear before. I have not, however, reached the point of being able to transcribe speech like Steve Vai, but hey, he's on a totally different level.

Musicians are masters of sounds. Listening to the sounds around you and attempting to imitate them is the essential tool of the musician. That's why the Axe FX is king!

 

[Highcastle_of_Tone]

"Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar" by Troy Stetina is a great book that's helped me considerably. Anyone could benefit from it regardless of whether they're looking to play fast or not.

Came here to recommend Troy Stetina. I think he's as good as any other teacher for getting to the point and giving you the best and most efficient method to improving technique and phrasing. "Speed Mechanics" is probably the cheapest and best place to start, but all of his stuff is good. His video "The Sound and the Story" is full of great instruction.